It will provide advice for wildlife rescue and rehab centre vets.

Six veterinary surgeons have contributed to a 10-page guide, which they hope will support wildlife centres through the avian influenza outbreak.

The practical guidance includes advice from veterinary surgeons from RSPCA, Scottish SPCA and the British Veterinary Zoological Society (BVZS), who have provided their knowledge and experiences of dealing with the outbreak.

The guidelines have been published online, and have been made free to access to easily share what these organisations have learnt.

The document covers a wide range of issues including contingency planning, avian influenza testing, PPE and detailed biosecurity advice.

It is hoped that the new guidelines will improve upon current published guidelines from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Association (APHA), which can not be specific to the unique circumstances of individual centres.

The new report will support veterinary surgeons and other rehabilitation professionals that work with wildlife centres with deciding on admission policy, official reporting obligations, triaging and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) approach to suspected or confirmed avian flu cases at wildlife centres.

The contributors say that the document is intended to provide general advice based on their experiences, and is not intended to provide definitive direction or replace individual site assessments or veterinary advice.

They say that individual centres should continue to follow the latest legislation and guidance.

BVZS Council Member Elliott Simpson-Brown, who contributed to the guide, said: "Avian Influenza is here to stay. And if we are to safeguard our privilege to be able to work with the incredible array of wildlife we have in the UK and associated ever-evolving disease threats, then it is vital that all sectors of the veterinary industry and representative bodies work proactively and collaboratively to ensure continued safe and sustainable procedures are in place, and this starts with guidance and understanding."

RSPCA chief veterinary officer Caroline Allen said: “The RSPCA knows only too well the worry and devastation that bird flu can cause.

“As this terrible disease has hit so close to home recently, we have all been on a real learning curve, developing methods of best practice and working with APHA to understand and interpret official rules, which are not always designed for the wildlife rehabilitation setting.

“We hope that by sharing what we have learnt through our experiences with Avian Influenza we can now help others.”

The guidance can be accessed for free here.

Image (C) Shutterstock